1996 Sundance Spa repair?

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Doctor548

Member
May 29, 2024
8
NW Ohio
I'm looking for some advice. We have an old 1996 Sundance spa that's in our basement--clearly it was installed as they built the house, so it's impossible to get out without sawing it up. And there's no way a replacement spa can be brought back in to replace it.

So the spa stopped working 8 months ago. The repair company claimed it was just the pump that needed fixing, but when they removed and fixed the pump, they couldn't get the spa working again. I bought an identical model new pump online, and they installed that, but again, couldn't get it working. At that point, they said it could be the circuit board or the topside, but that Sundance doesn't make those parts anymore. They said I could hunt down similar parts online, and they might try to install them to see if that could work, but they didn't sound optimistic about that being a long term fix. I got the sense they just wanted to wash their hands of the issue.

We were thinking of just removing and replacing, but then they said they don't have the manpower for removal and they don't have any product that would be able to be installed anyway. So their suggestion was to have a contractor tear it out and just build a new floor there, and they could sell us an outside spa. I don't love the location possibilities for an outside spa. This property is at a ski/golf resort area in northern MI, so we do often rent it out, and the spa was a nice feature for sure.

We've been through two spa companies and one independent contractor, btw, so I'm feeling like I'm on my own with this project. Any suggestions would be great.
 
Sundance Spas are solid, I have one manufactured in 2000 and still going strong. Parts are also readily available which is awesome. If it is leak proof and ran fine 8 months ago, I would still consider repairing it given your situation as most likely its probably a single part you need to replace to get it back up and running.

When you say "stopped working" can you describe what exactly is going on. Is it turning on? Is it warming up? If the company thought it was a pump, you probably had other pumps in the spa that should still be working. Any specific additional information would be helpful for anyone here.
 
Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I wasn't there when it stopped working, so I don't really know. I'm heading up there on Saturday will take some pics of the various parts so I can start searching the internet for replacements. Will post here to see what you guys think.
 
We have a 2003 Sundance Bahia - I get all my Sundance specific parts from Spa & Pool Source- Your #1 Source for all your Spa & Hot Tub Needs They have a number of help and troubleshooting guides that will help you narrow down most problems.
If you turn the power on and the control panel doesn't light up replace the control panel - they do go bad. We've replaced ours twice in the last 10 years. We've never had a problem w/ the Circuit board.
The other problem child in ours has been the flow sensor and the recirculating pump - we've gone thru 2-3 of them in the last 10 years.
We do all our own troubleshooting and repairs. They are actually pretty simple to work on, just pay attention to how you take something apart and put it back together the same way.
 
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It wasn't leaking, it just stopped running. I think it had started to make a progressively louder noise while cycling, leading up to when it stopped. I live 4 hours away from this rental, and don't get up too often, so I don't have tons of details.

Here's the last correspondence from the repair folks, after they installed a new pump and couldn't get it running:

"Regarding a quote or further options- after Jim did some research he doesn't see a long term fix doing it this way and potentially causing other issues down the road. So therefore he wanted me to inform you the only way we can do this is having the correct parts. The topside part number is 6600-693, the board I do not know for certain. (did attach pictures of it for you)​
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Alex did speak with Sundance on site but as he stated they could not really give a direct answer for a solution - they did say the board needed they no longer carry and that it could be the board or the topside or both. So not a clear direct answer.​
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I'd start looking around on ebay or other places for a used one if possible or one that may work. The topside i'd look for as well, through us we will upcharge it from sundance if they truly have it but could take a bit of time to arrive."​

I do see some of those topsides available online in the $380 range, so maybe that's what I should order first. Should/could I also have them replace that Sentry Circuit board? Thanks for the help, really appreciated! It's been dead for 9 months, and I've gone through a few companies, two of whom just washed their hands of it. This last one is at least giving me options.
 

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Doctor548 said:
do see some of those topsides available online in the $380 range, so maybe that's what I should order first. Should/could I also have them replace that Sentry Circuit board?
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I'm pretty sure that board is no longer available.
It's probably not the topside. If the pump indicator light turns on/off with the button then the topside is fine, and it's on in the pic.
Are there any errors on the display?
 
I've got an old Sundance spa that hasn't worked in a year. It's in our basement, set into the floor with a small hatch down to access the inner workings (pump, circuit board, etc.). I got some helpful feedback a few months back on this thread, but I haven't had any luck finding a Sentry 650 circuit board.

In talking to someone today, they mentioned I could just replace the whole control pack with a retrofit self-contained system. I'd never heard of such a thing. I've since watched a few videos about them, but I'm sure yet if one would work with my setup. Has anyone had any experience with these products? Are there any that would work with an old 1995 Sundance tub?
 

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